Ascot Headpieces: A Painful Reminder

26th June 2015

It’s Ascot time of the year again and the media focus is strictly on headwear. The papers have been full with pictures of ladies wearing amazing creations, from Anoushka Lancaster’s fabulous, flowery, butterfly-filled creation, to Hernandez Talaj’s feathered spectacle.

Of course, for most racegoers, part of the fun of wearing hats is about changing their look – and that of their hair. And isn’t that something we’re all familiar with?

Every day I meet men who use various methods to cover up their hair, whether it’s cap wearers, camouflage product users or toupee fans.

Whilst the Ascot ladies wear their headgear to make a statement, creating something which is deliberately attention seeking – be it bright, bold, beautiful or all three – on the contrary, lots of men and women experiencing hair loss wear headgear to blend in.

Occasionally of course, this works in the reverse way, attracting attention to the head of the unsuspecting gentleman. I’m pretty sure you’ll have spotted someone who is quite obviously wearing a cover-up, for instance a man with ginger eyebrows who has a full head of shocking black hair.

I believe that a person should be comfortable in their body and with their natural features, so a cover-up should not even be an issue.

But for an increasing number, hair loss is a massive problem and a huge knock to confidence to boot. This may be for a variety of reasons including alopecia, male (or female) pattern baldness, scarring or burns… and the list goes on.

Even though the reasons for wishing to cover-up vary, the underlying problem is often the same: self-consciousness and confidence. That’s why I’ve written this blog today, looking at all the pictures of smiling confident Ascot attendees brings home to me the fact that no matter what you look like, as long as you believe in yourself, people will believe in you.